The Choice for Our Kids: Early Childhood Education

America may be one of the richest countries in the world, but it ranks #28 out of 38 countries in the percent of 4 year olds enrolled in pre-primary education programs like Head Start. The United States ranked behind countries like France, Spain and Mexico according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Head Start began in 1965 as an early childhood education program under President Johnson’s War on Poverty. Currently, there are 900,000 children enrolled in Head Start of which 35% are African American. The program cost $7.2 billion, less than a new air craft carrier costing $9 billion.

Does early childhood development matter? You bet it does. Children who are exposed to more language and more caring interaction with adults have an advantage over their peers that grow up in a stressful environment. This inequality leads to the “achievement gap” that educators say is evident as early as nine months of age and continues to inhibit student progress through elementary school and beyond.

Mitt Romney posts a 35 page document on his education plan, but it has no mention of Head Start, early childhood education or Pre-K programs.  The Ryan Budget outlines federal spending reductions, but gives no details as to where these cuts will be made.  The National Education Association (NEA) reports in a N Y Times article that early childhood programs would be cut by $590,000,000, eliminating 80,000 slots for kids and cutting 30,000 jobs for teachers, aides, and administrators. Republicans have used Head Start programs as an example of wasteful spending on unproven programs that need to be reined in.

President Obama expanded Head Start in 2009 under the Stimulus Program injection and additional $2.1 billion for Head Start and opening 61,000 new slots for kids. No additional specifics have been offered, but the Obama Administration has opposed Republican cuts to educational programs.

The 2012 Election is a matter of choice on so many issues, but don’t let early childhood education get missed in foreign policy, women’s issues and other high visibility targets. Our kids deserve more; our kids deserve better.

Vote and let your voice be heard.

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Utah's Mia Love : G.O.P. Candidate for Congress

Mia Love, Mayor of Saratoga Spring, Utah spoke at the National Republican Convention in support of the Romney-Ryan presidential ticket. Her theme was "The America I know".

“My parents immigrated to this country with $10 in their pockets and the hope that the America they learned about really did exist. When tough times came, they didn’t look to Washington. They looked within,” she said. She described the America she knew growing up as “centered on self-reliance, filled with all of the possibilities of living the American dream”.

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Romney's $716 Billion Medicare Lie

Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney

Here’s how Romney put it in an interview with 60 Minutes shortly after selecting Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidential running mate:

"There's only one president that I know of in history that robbed Medicare, $716 billion to pay for a new risky program of his own that we call Obamacare."

First things first: Neither Obama nor his health care law literally cut a dollar amount from the Medicare program’s budget.

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Romney's New Campaign Targeting African Americans

The Romney campaign has released a new campaign commercial targeting African-American voters. It includes footage from Romney’s polarizing appearance at the NAACP’s annual convention in Houston. Perhaps not surprisingly, the boos the presumptive GOP nominee for president received are edited out. The overarching theme of the commercial is job creation and “getting the economy back on track.” Watch the video below and let me know if you buy the hype.

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YO-YO: Women and Minorities Going Backward

Comic Jimmie "JJ" Walker slamming President Obama and implying that Blacks vote based on race raises my blood pressure. He must agree with the folks in the Hamptons who paid $30,000 per person to attend a fundraiser for Mitt Romney and managed to get media attention to their views that Blacks are less educated, don't understand our (political) system and therefore don't know how to vote on the issues. Resegregation, racial profiling, increasing crime rates, in adequate public schooling, voter suppression, increasing incarceration- so many issues tell me that unless we make good decisions in Election 2012, women and minorities are going backward and YO-YO (you're on your own).

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Rappers, Hip Hop and Politics: Election 2012

Did you know that June is Black Music Month? Well, I thought it might be a good time to look at some strange bedfellows: rappers, hip hop, and politics. Every one remembers the jaw dropping moment when Kanye West declared George Bush doesn't like Black people. But, do we take notice of the continuous interplay of hip hop stars, rappers and the political process?

Some notables come to the forefront in support of current political candidates of both parties. Jay-Z, Russel Simmons, P. Diddy, And Will.I.Am supported Barack Obama for president in 2008 and support his reelection in 2012. Common, Nas, and Chuck D have spoken out in support of Obama, also. Naturally, the President has been attacked by Fox News and other right wing media accusing him of glorifying their lyrics of drugs, sex, and violence. Jay-Z has been particularly in the fore front supporting Obama's stance on the tax code and on gay marriage.

While the President's support and connection to hip hop and rappers might be a political liability for him, Republican politician are enclosed in a protective bubble against their supporters in the industry. Rapper KRS-One supports Ron Paul, has toured with him and appeared in the media in support of Paul. It appears that Ron Paul's racist history documented through his newsletters and his connection to white supremacists don't disturb KRS-One. Prodigy is another rapper supporting Ron Paul. Both rappers are caught up in what they call "The Obama Deception", a New World Order conspiracy theory, as reported in the Grio.

That leaves Mitt Romney, the Republican Nominee for President and his supporter Kid Rock, who responded when Romney sought him out at a political rally. Kid Rock put aside his persona rapping about "sex, drugs, and pimping women", replacing it with a more acceptable, sterile image as a  country rock star wrapped in the confederate flag. Before a packed crowd of more than 1000 supporters, Romney accepted the endorsement of Kid Rock at the Royal Oak Music Theater. Kid Rock and band then performed his anthem "Born Free," which has become the Romney campaign theme. Kid Rock joins country singers Ted Nugent, Waylon Jennings and Trace Adkins in support of Romney.

As an industry, Hip Hop and Rap have become powerful financial and media resources with the ability to influence the main stream political process.

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Will Romney Win the White Working Class Vote?

What's up with the white working class vote? It was for him, his wife, and his family that New Deal Democrats taxed the rich, invented Social Security and supported militant labor unions. Now, seeing the Democrats as pro black and poor, white non-college educated voters are a mainstay for the Republican coalition.

Many people don’t understand how the white working class can support a Republican party which clearly favors the rich and would continue to vote against their own interest. But, that depends on how you define their interest. Anti-abortion and anti-gay religious beliefs coupled with NRA gun-toting sentiments may well see this group waiting for economic interest to “trickle down” to them while “getting their country back” with a white guy in the White House.

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The Elephant in the Room: Mitt Romney's Religion

The Mormon Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah, ca. 1880-1900

Two widely accepted facts about Mitt Romney is that he is a family man and an avid supporter of the LDS church. While the GOP says it has decided not to include Rev. Jeremiah Wright in the Election 2012 dialogue, another point of apparent agreement is a hands-off policy on discussing Romney's Mormonism. We may not be talking about it, but Romney's religion is an elephant in the room.

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"Loose Lips Sink Ships": Clinton, Booker, et al

Bill Clinton

Another Democrat bites the "Bain Capital" strategy dust, appearing to put personal interest before political alignment.

First, there was the so called Cory Booker "Gaffe" calling the campaign strategy "nauseating" which lead the GOP to offer "I Stand With Cory". Of course, Booker did a fast shuffle, called clarifying his comments, and vowed his support for President Obama. The score was three to one with the three being supposed Democratic supporters Cory Book, Harold Ford, Jr. and Gov. Ed Rendell folding against President Obama.

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Minorities and the GOP: Time to "Pivot"

The Republican Primary and Presidential Debates highlight the GOP point of view as it concerns America's domestic policy on social welfare and the 2012 Election..

Historically, Republican attacks on "the welfare state" after the civil rights protests of the 60s and 70s were propagated by their leadership from Barry Goldwater to Richard Nixon to Ronald Regan. The white majority's perception of expanding social welfare programs is mirrored in today's undercurrent of racist dialogue led by Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul.

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The War on Sandra Fluke-A Leader Takes a Stand-Wantabees Evade issue

On Friday, President Obama took a stand on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh's war against Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke. He called Sandra to offer his support as she waited to appear on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports.

Limbaugh bashed the student activist on his show for several days, calling her a "slut" and a "prostitute" and suggesting that she provide videos of her sexual activities. The reason for this abuse is Sandra's testimony to a congressional committee of Democrats after Republican Darryl Issa refused to allow her to testify before the full committee.  Her crime is her support of requiring employers to provide health care coverage that includes contraception.

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Political Games: Same Song - Different Day

The country’s facing serious difficulties. Unemployment is at 9 per cent, the housing market is tanking and Americans have lost confidence in the future. The President is fighting back and his Republican opponents are climbing over one another to grab the brass ring.

The GOP candidates take every opportunity to criticize President Obama, promising to make him a “one term president”. Romney went to Nevada where foreclosures are highest in the nation and promised to let the “normal market process” force owners out of their homes and allow the properties to be rented. The candidates have presented their financial proposals, including Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan and Rick Perry’s “flat tax” plan. The rich will get richer and the middle class and the poor will be adversely affected. Bachman and her fellows vow to repeal “Obamacare”, but offer nothing to replace it to solve healthcare issues.

Voters agree with the President and the Democrats on major issues such as ending the Bush tax cutas for the wealthy and preserving Social Security and Medicare. They agree with Republicans that the government should spend less, but seem to doubt that any of the GOP candidates would trim the budget in an intelligent and compassionate way.
Simply not being Obama is not enough. Calls to make Obama a “one term president” aren’t getting the same big response. Many voters realize that Republican candidates are selling the same old policies-trickle-down economics and tax cuts for the rich. Funny, they don’t even try to change their rhetoric. I wonder if they know voters aren’t buying it.

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